Amalgamator



No. 613,706. Patented Nav. 8,1898. .1., n. & c. H. McKELvEv.

AMALGAMATOB. (Appueeunmed Feb. 2, 189s.)

2 Sheets- Sheet I.

(No Model.)

No. 6I3,706. Patented Nov. 8, i898. J., D. & C. H. McKELVEY.

AMALGAMATDH.

(Application led Feb. 2. 1 898.\

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (No Model.)

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' Nrrnn rares JONATHAN MCKELVEY, DAVID MCKELVEY, AND CHARLES I'I. MCKELVEY, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

ANIALGAMATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of ll'lettersY Patent No. 613,706, dated November 8, 1898. Application filed February 2, 1898. Serial No.`668,899 (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that we, JONATHAN MCKEL- vEY, DAVID McKELvEY, and CHARLES I-I. MOKELVEY, citizens of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Amalgamator, of which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to secure float-gold effectively and economically and separate free gold from sand and any disintegrated auriferous material by thoroughly intermingling4 it with mercury under such pressure that all the particles of gold will be brought into contact with the mercury and am algamated with it. We are aware that various means of accomplishing this obj ect have been devised, and what is effected by our invention is superior efficiency, economy, and simplicity, which makes it new and useful.

In the following description reference is had to the accompanying drawings,in which- Figure 1 is a front view, in vertical medial section, of our amalgamator onthe line X X in Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line Y Y in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of our amalgamator. Fig. 4 is a top sectional view on the line S S in Fig. l. Fig. 5 :is an enlarged end elevation of a modiiication of our amalgamator, showing a simpler form of construction.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several drawings.

Our amalgamator is constructed of galvanized iron or boiler-iron, according to the size desired, galvanized iron suflicing for the smaller sizes. It consists of a central tubular column or sluice, diminishing in size from top to bottom, so that the diameter is about twice as great at the top as at the bottom. For convenience of transportation this column is constructed in two separable parts A and C, the upper part A having an outward iange F around its lower rim, adapted to be fastened by bolts with screw-taps to a similar flange surrounding the upper rim of the section C. The bottom part of this central column enters into a tubular well I, adapted to receive a body of mercury, to a distance equal to one-third the transverse diameter of The diameter of the well is preferably equal tothe bottom diameter of the central sluice-column. The well I is provided at one end with an exit-pipe B and at the other end with a similar exitpipe B and is bent so that its bottom is circular in longitudinal section, and the exit-pipes rise vertically from the ends on either side of the central sluice-column, widening outwardly as they rise, as shown, till their diameters at top are twice the diameter at bottom,where their diameter corresponds with the diameter of the tubular mercury-well. To give sufficient head, the height of the central sluice-tube is seven times its bottom diameter.

D and D are pipes for the conveyance of water under pressure, removably fastened at their lower ends into apertures of suitable diameter in the central column, which apertures are above the line to which the central column is immersed in the mercury and one of which apertures is in the front of the c olumn one-quarter of an inch to the right of its center and the other in the backof the column the same distanceto the right of the center. J represents the streams of water from these pipes entering the central column and the mercury-well.

E represents a chilled-iron plate removably fastened to the bottom ofthe well I to receive the impact of the sand driven by the streams J from the pipes D D'.

II represents a body of mercury lling the well I to a height indicated by broken lines in Fig. l and dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 5.

G represents a screen extending around the central column at its bottom and covern ing the exit-openings. In practice this screen is only necessary where the flow of water is inadequate.

The tubular mercury-well and its exit-pipes may be roughly described as like a section of stovepipe bent upwardly at each end,with the upwardly-bent portions widening as they rise and kept at sufficient distance from the central column to allow the fasteningsvof the flanges F to be manipulated.

The operation of our amalgamator may be described as follows: The well Iis first illed with the mercury H. The water is admitted through the pipes D D'. The water enters under heavy pressure either from a sufficient head or from a force-pump. wing to the direction in which the two streams enter the column a swirling motion is given to the mercury and the water as it rises in the column, creating a whirlpool. When the column' is illed in its lower part with Water, the goldbearing sand or other disintegrated gold-bearing material is fed in any suitable manner to the column and passes down it toward the mercury, into which it is forced by the Water playing On it through the pipes D D. The force of the Water and the swirling motion it imparts thoroughly separate the sand and other material and bring every part of it into contact with the mercury. The water is admitted into the central sluice-,column before the sand is put in to insure that no dry sand reaches the mercury. If the pressure of Water should be insufficient to thoroughly separate the sand, the screen G will break it up as it rises toward the exits. The force of the water Operating on the gold-bearing material forces it into the mercury and brings the float-gold and all the free gold into con tact with it and insures its being taken up by it. The tailings and water Overiiow through the exit-pipes B and B. The amalgam settles in the bottom of the well and can be drawn off through a double-valve cock in the bottom. Figs. 2 and 5.)

1n the simpler construction of our amalgamator shown in Fig. 5 We substitute for the well I with its exit-pipes a tub-shaped (Shown in vessel B2, larger in diameter at the top than at the bottom, in which the central sluicecolumn A, in one piece, is set, supported on legs a a. The mercury is put in the bottom of the tub to the height indicated by the dotted line opposite H. The Water and goldbearing material are admitted as heretofore described, and the Water and tailings Overflow the sides of the tub, and the amalgam may be drawn Off through the valve-cock in the bottom.

With our amalgamator a great quantity of gold-bearing material can be rapidly treated and every particle of gold be taken up by the mercury.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is*

The combination of a substantially U- shaped mercury-holding tube, a central vertical sluice-tube descending into the U -tubefor a short distance; non-radial pipes for delivering water under pressure into the central tube in front and rear; a screen in the U-tube, and means for withdrawing amalgam, substantially as set forth.

JONATHAN MCKELVEY. DAVID MCKELVEY. CHARLES H. MCKELVEY.

lVitnesses:

JOHN B. TILFORD, GEORGE A. JONES, J r. 

